The World Goes Away
by ariadne melody
Summary: A series revolving around various Stefan/Elena dates, moments, etc. Fluff and smut for the most part.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This can really be set anywhere between 1.10 and 2.20- it's just a random bit of fluff/fun.

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><p>Stefan's pulling books out of his locker when he senses it, the disconcerting feeling of being watched. Not just watched, but actual being studied and examined like some sort of animal in a zoo. Shoulders tensing, he slowly turns around, half expecting to see a hoard of angry vampires there ready to attack him and then go after students, coating the halls with blood. Or a pack of scientists ready to knock him out and take him away to be studied in a creepy underground lair. Or Caroline's mother and a dozen other deputies armed with vervain guns.<p>

Instead it's Elena standing there, holding a pile of books and notebooks, staring at him with a slight smile on her face.

"Did I scare you?" she asks, her voice containing more than a teasing hint in it.

He closes his locker door and smiles back. "Only a little," he says and they kiss, even though the bell is ringing and they're going to be late for class.

"I'm getting back at you," she whispers in his ear, "for earlier."

Earlier, when he freaked her out by suddenly appearing behind her, making Elena jump about three feet in the air. "Well done," he murmurs back to her.

"So," Elena curls her fingers around his hand. "It's been a long time."

A long time since they've seen each other (fifty minutes, when Elena had Spanish and Stefan had Latin). A while since Stefan snuck out of the Gilbert house in the early morning, nearly getting caught by a bleary-eyed Jenna.

"We haven't had a date night in a while," Elena continues, a pout on her face.

"Well, that is certainly a problem," Stefan says carefully, struggling to keep the smile off his face and not succeeding very well.

"It is. A serious problem."

"Luckily for us there is an easy solution."

"Oh?"

"I'm free tonight."

"Are you? Odd, so am I. And," she lowers her voice, "my house happens to be completely empty tonight..."

Stefan caresses her hand while he asks, "Miss Gilbert, would you be up for dinner and a movie tonight?"

"Only if you're cooking, Mr. Salvatore."

"Deal," Stefan kisses the top of her head and rubbed her cheek gently. "Glad there's some fun to look forward to tonight."

Elena grins. Suddenly the dreary day looks a lot more bearable.

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><p>What Elena wants is a normal night: dinner, movies, snuggling on the couch. Smiling to herself, she scans the cabinet of DVDs, trying to choose the perfect film, something that isn't too scary or cheesy or whatever.<p>

"I'm off," Jenna calls out, on her way to a dinner date with friends. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"Okay! Have fun!" Elena calls back, smirking over her aunt's words. Jenna's not exactly one to restrain herself. Still smirking, she turns her attention back to the cabinet. Movies, movies, doorbell.

"Hey," Elena's eyes light up as she opens the door and takes in Stefan, who's leaning against the door, holding a grocery bag and a bouquet of colorful flowers. She stretches up and kisses him, unsurprised when he gently maneuvers them into the house while continuing to kiss her fiercely.

"So, um, dinner?" Elena asks, her voice breathless when they break apart.

"Dinner," Stefan agrees, a playful smile on his face.

The next hour is as normal and fun as Elena could have wished for, watching Stefan prepare dinner while she occasionally pitches in, her sub-par cooking skills painfully obvious in comparison to Stefan's wizard-like skills. She assigns herself the role of entertainer instead, telling him stories and jokes, her smile brightening as Stefan's warm laughter fills the kitchen. Impulsively she kisses the back of his neck. Stefan pauses in cutting up vegetables, turns and embraces her, eagerly kissing her again and deciding that it's all right if dinner waits.

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><p>"You are an amazing cook," Elena drapes her legs across Stefan's lap. "You cook. You dance. You play football. You're good at calculus. You're an excellent diplomat, yet good at fighting, and you're good at comforting people. Seriously, what can't you do?"<p>

"I'm still working on the whole world peace thing," he jokes and rubs her legs.

She gently punches his arm. "Sometimes you make me feel so unaccomplished."

"I've lived a lot longer," Stefan points out and takes one of Elena's hands. "I've had more time..."

"To become good at everything?"

"To study, to learn, to explore. That's... well, I don't know if I want to say it's a good thing about being... what I am, but the time is an advantage," he tells her, glancing slowly up to see the look on her face.

Elena pulls his hand close to her chest, near her heart. "I haven't really been anywhere. Well, trips with my family, but I don't really feel like I've ever done anything, you know?"

The words, Elena, you're young, are on the tip of Stefan's tongue, but he doesn't say them, just waits patiently for her to continue.

"I've never thought a lot about the future. Not specifically about my future," she says slowly. "I guess I thought I'd be like my mom- go to college, spend a year in New York or wherever writing, get married, have kids, work from home. After the accident I couldn't think about my future without imagining the blank spots it would have without my parents. I couldn't really picture my future at all. And then I met you and fell in love with you and now I... I still don't have a clear picture of my future."

"We don't have to talk about this now," Stefan whispers, rushing to wipe away her tears. Elena sighs. "I mean, my parents are still gone, they'll always be gone, but I have you. You brought me back to life," she tells him, wincing slightly at the awkward words. Clumsy as they are, the words are true. They kiss for a long moment, and then Elena sighs again, happily this time. "Okay, enough with the tears. Movie time?"

She hops up and crosses to the cabinet. "What are you in the mood for? Action? Romance? Humor?"

"Tough question."

"Indeed."

By the time the ending credits of Star Wars are rolling, Stefan's hands are beneath Elena's shirt and her legs have found their way around Stefan's. They hadn't exactly paid much attention to the movie's end (or even the last forty-five minutes of it), instead focusing on each other's lips, exchanging long kisses.

"You're really good at this," Elena breaths out before kissing him again.

Just as Stefan's about to reply (although he doesn't think that "You are too" is expressive enough), he stops and listens to something. "Jeremy's back."

"My room?" Elena turns off the TV and they race up the stairs, laughing the entire time.

Elena sank down onto her bed, gestures for Stefan to sit besides her. She smiles appreciatively yet again as his lips nuzzle her neck and his fingers touch his face, then moves quickly to push him down onto the mattress and kiss him slowly, pausing only to yank his shirt over his head. The perfect ending to a perfect evening, she thinks as Stefan pulls off her shirt. His fingers trail down her spine and she happily sinks against his body, feeling loose and happy for this, this night, this movement that hopefully will last as long as possible.

Suddenly there's an odd, unexpected noise. Stefan, in the process of rolling their bodies over, freezes and Elena's eyes widen in surprise. Both turn to gape at Elena's bathroom door.

"Is that...?" Stefan starts to ask.

"Jeremy," Elena finishes in disbelief.

It is Jeremy, belting out a song, his voice booming over the roar of the shower.

"He's a little off-key, but very enthusiastic," notes Stefan.

"Oh, you sing too?" Elena teases, then shakes her head. "I guess his mystery date went well."

"Mystery date?"

"He wouldn't tell me who he was meeting- I don't know if I should be concerned about that or not."

After Jeremy's gone from the bathroom, Stefan gets up and checks to make sure both doors are locked, not caring for the next part of their date to be interrupted.

"Get back here," Elena orders gently, and even though the room is dark he knows she's smiling.

He is too.

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><p>AN: Thank you so much for all the reviewsprompts/feedback so far! I really appreciated everything! This *might* be continued (because, really, S/E need to have some fun along with all the angst) and I'm also working on some other stories: some one-shots, a couple of longer ones as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Stefan wakes from a dream, one that involves the beach, the ocean, and Elena in a bikini. Resolving that they'll go to the beach at some point, he pulls Elena closer, burying his face in her hair. She murmurs something about a lobster and he wonders if she's dreaming of the beach too. Luckily it's the weekend so neither of them has to get up anytime soon.

Yet he can't fall asleep again. Even in the safe confines of Elena's bed, with her feet touching his and her soft, comforting breath, Stefan can't relax enough to allow himself to slip into unconsciousness again. Already he's alert and wary, worried about current and future dangers that could threaten Elena and Mystic Falls. Complete strangers with crazy schemes or someone connected to his past (the past that he still hasn't fully told Elena about); both present dangerous possibilities.

Last night Elena had listed his many skills with pride and envy, jokingly saying that he could do anything. Not entirely true- there are many things that Stefan can't do now, that he won't do now: drink from humans, stalk and torture and kill just for fun. Nor can he forgive himself for what he's done to others in the past; he supposes that if Elena ever seriously asked him what he couldn't do, the list might be longer than she would have expected. Stefan can't forgive himself, or totally trust himself, or fully blame Damon ever or let his guard down or-

"Morning," Elena murmurs, reaching for one of his hands.

"Morning," Stefan says against her hair, tightening his grip around her. "You sleep all right?"

"Uh-huh," Elena turns to face him, a sleepy smile on her face. "We should do stuff like that more often."

Stefan gives her a sly grin and Elena rolls her eyes. "I meant spending time together."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to," Elena kisses him and runs her hands through his hair. "I love you," both murmur between kisses.

"Want some breakfast?" Stefan asks later, trailing his hand across her back.

"Sure," she says and lifts her head, a bright smile never leaving her face.

Clothing gets put on slowly and lazily, threatening to fall or get pulled off at any moment. Stepping outside of Elena's room is like stepping into another world, one less comforting and safe, if not quite as scary as the world outside Elena's house. Pulling out eggs, Stefan starts to work on making scrambled eggs, glancing at Elena every so often as if to reassure himself that she was still there.

Elena notes this and steps besides him at the stove, setting plates on the counter. "I'm not going anywhere love," she whispers into his ear. He looks at her and gently kisses her forehead, about to kiss his way down to her lips when they hear Jenna on the stairs, stumbling slightly and grumbling to herself.

"Morning," Jenna mutters as she wanders in and then stops, looking quizzically at Stefan. "Hi Stefan. You're here early."

"Hi Jenna," Stefan smiles uneasily.

Elena finds something intimidating about Jenna's raised eyebrows. "Stefan was just in the neighborhood and stopped by..." she starts and realizes how lame it sounded, realizes that if Jenna didn't have a problem with Jeremy and Vicki Donavan, she probably wouldn't have an issue with Stefan. Maybe. Hopefully. "Um, Stefan likes to cook," is her next brilliant contribution.

Stefan, for his part, is just relieved that Jenna looks amused.

"That's nice," Jenna replies, looking like she's trying not to laugh. "Me, I find making toast a difficult task. I'm pretty sure the toaster hates me."

"Toast can be tricky," Stefan agrees. "Bagels too."

Jenna pours herself a cup of coffee, chatting easily away with Stefan about the best places to eat in Mystic Falls, where to get the best pizza, chocolate cake, coffee (the Grill for all three). While Elena's happy to see her boyfriend and her aunt getting along, she's dreading what will happen after Stefan leaves; Jenna will undoubtably try to have a "talk" with her (why and how Jeremy manages to escape these is beyond her). Yet seeing Stefan chuckle softly at Jenna's rambling jokes is actually pretty fun to watch, and Elena finds herself smiling just watching them.

"You're really good at being charming," Elena says after Jenna wanders off.

Stefan smirks. "Baby, I am charming."

"Very," Elena comments dryly, brushing against him and interlocking their free hands. "So... what are we doing today?"

Stefan's smile grows even wider.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry it's been so long with this story- writer's block struck! This chapter's a little... different, but I hope you enjoy it. Warning, it's a little (a lot) on the cheesy side.

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><p>She waits for him in bed, fingers slowly kneading the mattress, mind slowly relaxing from the day's strange events. Her eyes light up when Stefan comes into the room, towel-drying his hair and humming slightly. Stefan humming (a strange sight in itself); what's more, there's a smile playing across his lips along with a slightly naughty expression in his eyes that indicates he's looking forward to a quiet night at home. Elena half-wishes that others could see him like this- playful and calm instead of always so serious.<p>

She likes it, though, knowing that he lets his guard down for her, that she's the only one who gets to see him this way. It's like the look in his eyes whenever he sees her, or the particular grin he has after shower sex. Certain things that are for her and her alone.

Before getting into bed he flicks off the overhead light, but moonlight still leaks in through the windows, falling across Elena. She's beautiful in the moonlight, he thinks. Of course, she's beautiful all the time, even (especially) when she thinks she's at her worst, when she sighs about her hair and moans about her skin.

Their arms automatically loop around the other, locking their bodies in their customary tight embrace. Stefan brushes her hair away from her face, kisses her forehead while she rubs his back. He doesn't consider himself to be a very physically affectionate person- he's never really been one for spontaneous hugs or anything, has always been slightly awkward with most people. Not so with Elena. It didn't take them long to develop their own code, for their bodies to instinctively understand what the other desired or needed. From day one they were physical, kissing, holding hands, caressing, and, by now, their bodies have their own language.

"Where shall it be tonight?" he whispers.

"Scotland," she says with a slight smile.

It's become a ritual, Elena naming a country and listening to Stefan talk about that place,. Some places he hasn't visited for a hundred years, while others he makes a point of going back to often. They started with Italy. Slowly they've been working their way around the world.

Tonight he talks about going with Lexi to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and how they lost each other in the crush of people; the next time he saw her she had become part of a some performance art piece about clowns and trains. Later on that same trip they made a valiant effort to find the Loch Ness monster and they had both ended up falling into the loch and freaking out a whole lot of people. How they'd done four pub-crawls in Edinburgh and still hadn't made it to every one. About how Lexi made him dance all night at a ceilidh and he found that he actually enjoyed the traditional Scottish dances, fast tempos and all. Other trips that he had taken by himself, traveling by train and gazing out the window, hiking in Rannoch Moor and getting lost in the fog, going to whiskey distilleries and falling in love with certain whiskies.

She's a bit jealous of him, having seen so much, gone to so many places. She hasn't really been anywhere.

"I want to go there," she says softly, like she says every time after his stories.

"You want to go everywhere."

"Why not?" she shifts so she can see his face. "Would you go with me?"

"I'd go anywhere with you," he tells her and she knows it's true.

Smiling, Elena kisses Stefan and climbs on top of him, running her hands down his chest, slipping them beneath his sweatpants. One of his hands cups her face while the other slides around her waist; he kisses her eagerly, glad that, for now, the stories and words are done for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN**: Apologies for this being so delayed! I'm currently traveling, so updates will be a little scarce for another week or so; after that, I should be updating fairly regularly again (with this, more one-shots, and a couple of lengthier pieces). Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for reviews/comments!

These are two separate pieces put together because thematically they *seem* to work.

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><p>She's not sure why she's awake. While, aside from the obvious: her mind refuses to settle down and her eyelids refuse to stay still. She wishes she could fall asleep.<p>

Elena glances over at Stefan, who's sprawled on his back, a peaceful look on his face. Lucky. She's jealous, incredibly jealous of the simple fact that he can sleep right now and she can't. For a moment she thinks about hitting him with a pillow or something, but then she sighs and lets him be.

Instead, she gently slides out of bed and crosses to the window, gazes outside at the darkness. Anything- anyone- could be out there right now, staring at her, watching her. Watching her looking blankly out the window. Maybe plotting right now to leap up and come crashing through the window...

Stop it, she orders herself, pushing the image out of her mind. Still, she shivers. As cheesy as it is, it still has a ring of truth to it. This is just one of the unsettling things that comes along with the wonderful things Stefan has. The fear of... things. Katherine. Of others like her.

"Elena?"

She turns and sees Stefan sitting up, blinking at her. His hair makes her bite her lip to keep from giggling. He looks at her, a quizzical look coming over his sleepy expression. Then, apprehension.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asks as he climbs out of bed and goes to her.

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all," Elena reassured him. "Nothing's wrong."

Stefan nods, but his eyes are fixed on the window as he seems to scan the area.

Elena still feels too awake, too keyed up to sleep, but she tugs on Stefan's hand anyways, pulls him back to bed. There's still a bit of tension in his body, she realizes with some guilt, remembering his peaceful expression from earlier. She lies down, feels Stefan's arms go around her waist and his hands gently rub her back.

"Go back to sleep," she whispers. "Every-thing's fine."

He shifts so he looks directly at her. "I love you."

Elena watches as he falls back asleep, his body curling protectively around her.

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><p>The rain wakes Stefan. He can hear it splattering noisily on the roof, as well as the droplets hitting the windowpane. Grimacing, he rolls over, checkes his watch. 4:55 am. Early and late. He sighs, lets the watch drop back on the bedside table, listening to the surrounding noises. Rain. Rain. Damon playing music just loudly enough so Stefan could hear it. Rain. Elena's breath.<p>

He rolls over to look at Elena. She's stretched out on her side, one of her hands grasping his arm rather tightly, as if she's never going to let him go. There's a seductive smile on her face and he smirks; most likely the dream is of the wonderfully naughty variety involving him and hopefully, they'll be able to recreate it later. He thinks for a moment about getting out of the warm bed, finding his camera, and taking a photo. She probably wouldn't appreciate that, he thinks; anyways, he doesn't want to move away from her, so instead he drapes an arm over her, touching her hair, her back. He doesn't want to wake her, but he can't help himself and he has to kiss her gently, lightly.

Elena murmurs something incoherent and shifts closer to him, her eyes still firmly closed. Her breathing has changed- it's shallower. She's waking. He moves even closer, curling himself around her. At the movement she opens her eyes slowly and smiles languidly at him, her hand tightening on his arm.

"Hi," she whispers.

"Hi," he whispers back.

She moves her body so there's no space between them, pressing against him and grabbing one of his hands. "Why are you awake?"

"The rain woke me up."

"It's raining?" she says and then, "Oh, right, super hearing."

"Right."

"What's it like at a rock concert?" she mumbles, playing with his hand, intertwining their fingers.

He smirks. "We'll go to one and I'll tell you."

She smiles at this and moves her legs so they're tangled with his. For a moment they're both quiet, enjoying the feel of bodies being close, of a particular quietness in the air.

"I wonder if it'll rain all day," Elena muses.

"Could happen," Stefan begins to kiss her face- forehead, cheek, lips. He can hear the sound of her heartbeat speed up and smiles at this.

When a particularly long kiss stops Elena says, "I hope it rains all day."

"Why?" Stefan asks as he moves to kiss her neck.

"We could stay here all day."

"We could stay here all day even if it's sunny."

Elena shifts so she's on top of him, leans forward and begins kissing him. "Excellent plan, Mr. Salvatore."

She moves down to his chest, alternating between nipping at his flesh and placing delicate kisses to sooth the skin. "You know, when you woke me up, I was in the middle of a dream... about you. Well, us, really."

"Oh?" Stefan smiles and pulls her up, one hand sliding beneath her camisole. "Tell me."

"I think I'd rather show you."

And she does.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN**: This takes place during 1.16 "There Goes the Neighborhood". Also, I've made a change to this story/series: aside from the first two chapters, it's now going to be a series of relatively unrelated S/E drabbles/moments- ones that are relatively angst free and centering around dates/moments/etc. Comments/Reviews/Thoughts would be lovely- hope you enjoy!

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><p>As Matt and Caroline drove off, Elena leaned against Stefan's chest. It wasn't easy to fight with Caroline- it had never been easy to fight with Caroline. You wanted to throttle her for being so irritating and hug her at the same time, tell her to stop being so insecure. Elena had tried her best, and only hoped that Matt would have better luck with reassuring Caroline.<p>

"You okay?" Stefan asked, wrapping his arms around Elena's waist.

She shrugged. "If it's not vampires, it's girl friends," she tried to make a joke of it. "Thanks for doing this for Matt."

"He's a good guy."

"Yeah, he is," Elena agreed, then twisted her body so she could look at Stefan. "So... we're alone."

A teasing note entered Stefan's voice when he said, "Yes, we are."

"We should do something," Elena slyly suggested.

"Something? What kind of something?" his hands gripped her back, tracing the bottom of her jacket.

"Something... normal," Elena smiled up at him, enjoying this, playful banter with her boyfriend.

"Oh, normal," Stefan pretended to be disappointed. "Does normal involve this?" he murmured as he kissed her forehead. "Or this?" Her neck. "Or this?" Her lips, a deep kiss that left Elena reeling for breath. "Apparently it does," he smirked at the look on her face. "Come on, it's cold out here."

Hand in hand they sauntered inside, glad to have the place to themselves, glad to be alone, away from prying ears and eyes. As they entered the living room, Elena pushed Stefan against the door and kissed him, perching on her tip-toes and running her hands through his hair. Stefan complied willingly, holding Elena tightly against his body, his lips eagerly reciprocating hers. Divesting each other of their jackets, Elena began to undo his shirt, groaning slightly when she saw the tank top underneath it- Stefan tended to wear too many layers for her liking (although, if she had it her way, he wouldn't wear anything at all). When she finally got that off as well, she ran her hands over his chest, a smile on her face. Really, Elena adored his body, and made a note to show the full extent of her appreciation later. Stefan pulled her shirt off as well, his eyes lingering on her black bra, one of his favorites.

Slowly, still kissing, they stumbled across the room to the couch, Stefan gently pushing Elena down and sprawling on top of her.

"We," Elena whispered as Stefan began to kiss a path across her breasts, following the lace of her bra, "haven't done nearly enough of this lately."

"Agreed."

They remained on the couch for quite some time.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN**: Um, yeah, so this fic/series kind of got a little lost- apologies for that! Again, thank you so much for your reviews- they really mean a lot. Hope you enjoy this one. Setting wise, it's probably between 1.15 and 2.1, but really, it's just about Elena/Stefan going on a date and very little else.

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><p>Elena examined her closet carefully for about the five hundredth time and still couldn't find the right outfit, the one that would make Stefan's jaw drop and his eyes light up. So far all he'd seen her in were slightly dressy clothes, regular clothes, underwear, and nothing; while he told her over and over that she always looked gorgeous, she really wanted to, well, actually make an effort for him. For once. Which should have been easier than it was actually turning out to be.<p>

Sighing, she grabbed her phone and flopped onto her clothes-ladden bed. "Hey!" Caroline's harried, chipper voice greeted her. "I'm kind of in the middle of something-"

"Uh-huh," Elena smirked. She could hear Matt asking Caroline to hurry up. "How's Matt?"

"Fine, fine, fine. What's up?"

"It's, well, I'm going out to dinner with Stefan tonight and I have nothing to wear-,"

"Fancy or casual?" Caroline's voice was suddenly all business.

"Fancy, I think." Elena wasn't entirely sure where he was taking her; the only hints he'd given was that it was Italian and out of town. Way out of town.

Caroline sighed. "Okay. Here's what I think..."

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><p>Stefan could more than pull off a suit, Elena thought as she opened the front door. Armed with a bouquet of flowers, the look on his face was exactly what she'd been hoping for; he was starting at her like she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.<p>

"You look...," he started, a huge smile on his face. "Wow."

"I could say the same about you," Elena smiled and pulled him inside. The kiss was only meant to be a quick, sweet greeting, but of course it evolved into a deeper, passionate one, complete with tongues locking, hair grabbing, and Stefan's hands roaming Elena's body. Unfortunately, Jeremy chose that moment to thunder down the stairs.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I'm totally gone..." Jeremy frantically ran into the kitchen.

Elena groaned and laughed at the same time. "I think that's our cue to get out of here."

"Good idea," Stefan murmured and leaned in to nip her ear. "Because otherwise I think the only place we'd end up going to would be upstairs."

Shivering at his tone, Elena gasped as Stefan nipped her neck, quickly soothing it with kisses. Suddenly dinner looked a lot less appealing.

"Come on," she managed to get out, reaching for his hands. "Wanna get out of here?"

Stefan smiled, his eyes sparkling. He offered his arm to her and Elena took it, leaning against him as they walked to the car.

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><p>Elena laughed as they stumbled to the car. The restaurant's wine had been plentiful and excellent, and Stefan twirled her around, breaking into an impromptu waltz in the empty parking lot. The waltz began to incorporate other dance styles and moves, but always maintained the same elements of love and passion, intensity and heat.<p>

"You're good at this," Elena murmured as Stefan dipped her and spun her, let her spin out and then pulled her back firmly against him. Stefan murmured something, "So are you" or "I love you" as they swayed together. Elena's smile was so wide and bright, Stefan could feel it against his neck and he held her closer.

"I don't wanna go home," she said when they eventually stopped dancing, their bodies remaining close together as they stood by Stefan's car.

"I don't either," Stefan confessed.

"And it's such a long drive back," Elena fake-grumbled, over-exaggerating her sighes. Stefan raised an eyebrow- sure, Mystic Falls was over two hours away, but it wasn't that long of a drive.

Elena whispered in his ear, "Maybe we should spend the night somewhere..."

"I know a good hotel nearby," Stefan answered immediately.

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><p>Stefan pulled his jacket off, hanging it in the closet, and glanced towards the closed bathroom door. For someone with no change of clothes and only some basic make-up supplies in her purse, Elena was spending a lot of time in the bathroom primping. Which she definitely did not need to do. A slow smile spread across Stefan's face, picturing Elena in that red dress that showed off her legs and hugged her body; throughout the car ride and dinner he had had to recite various football stats in his mind to stop himself from constantly running his hands over her legs. He was dead certain that she had known it too, from the smile she gave him.<p>

A normal date, that's what they had wanted- a romantic dinner, somewhere away from the chaos of Mystic Falls. So what if they both wanted the night to continue-

"Hey," Elena said softly and he blinked. Yes, the short red dress on her had been incredibly sexy, but the lacy underwear she'd appearently been wearing all evening also made him speechless.

Slowly, she walked over to him, placing her hands on his chest. "You know I love how you look in a suit," she whispered. "But you know what else I love about you?"

Stefan raised an eyebrow and Elena whispered into his ear, "How good you look with nothing on."

With that, she pressed him against the wall, forcefully kissing him and quickly removing his shirt; Stefan grabbed her hips and rocked against her, pulling her underwear off. Elena leapt up and wrapped her legs around his waist and Stefan growled, movign them to the bed. They landed on the mattress, frantically kissing while throwing clothing off. As soon as the clothes were tossed to the floor, Stefan began kissing his way down her body, taking his time, caressing her breasts with his tongue and lips and hands while Elena writhed beneath him. Her back arched and she grasped his hair, burying her fingers in it. They moved together, limbs twisting together, mouths forming the same shape as they gasped and moaned, cried out with pleasure, coming together.

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><p>"That was an amazing date," Elena sighed as they began driving through familiar streets. Stefan's arm was draped around her and she squeezed his leg. "I mean, we went out to dinner and nothing bad or crazy happened-"<p>

"Shh," Stefan rubbed her arm. "Let's not talk about that, any of that." He preferred to think about the date, the wonderful dinner and the even more wonderful night and morning.

"Right," Elena murmured and leaned over to kiss him. "You're so right."

They spent more time in the car, making out slowly in front of Elena's house. Stefan ran his hands through her hair, fisting it and then letting it slide through his fingers.

"I love you," Elena murmured. "I love you Stefan."

"I love you, 'Lena," he whispered back.

He walked her to the door, knowing full well that Elena's nosy neighbor Mrs. Reed was eyeing Elena's crumpled dress and his wrinkled suit with suspion. They weren't exactly dressed for early morning (well, more like midday) regular Saturdays.

"Ugh," Elena sighed at the door. "I don't want you to go..."

"I don't want to leave-" Stefan was saying when the door opened and Jenna was standing there, looking both mad and amused.

"Cell phone, Elena, cell phones. Remember them?" she said. "Hi, Stefan."

"Hi," he said, slightly embarrassed. Elena's cheeks flushed. "Sorry, Jenna."

Jenna rolled her eyes and walked away. Elena smiled and looked up at him, still blushing and still a little mortified, but not enough to prevent her from kissing Stefan fiercly.

"Study party later?" she grinned when their lips finally parted.

Stefan kissed her again. "Absolutely."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN**: Sorry about the lack of updates! Hopefully the dreaded writer's block will end soon. This is just a short, fluffy/cheesy update, and I should have something longer/better up soon. Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Considering how eventful every single school dance had been for Elena and Stefan (and not in a good way), it was little wonder that they decided to skip the upcoming dance. Stefan had spent several days worrying that Elena would want to go, given her penchant for making him dance, and had been so relieved when she whispered during French class that, in fact, she didn't want to go that he kissed her greedily right in the middle of class. They'd had to stay after class for a lecture about "appropriate class behavior", delivered in both English and French to drive the message home.<p>

Elena teased him afterwards, her hands playfully dancing around his back in the middle of the hallway and they decided to skip lunch that day; Stefan secured an empty classroom and they had a lovely time slowly torturing each other with kisses and teasing hands before she decided enough was enough and gave him that look, all pouting lips and sultry eyes, the look that made him melt. Fumbling with clothing, they fucked on a desk, Elena's legs around Stefan's hips, her mouth pressed against Stefan's neck to muffle her moans. It wasn't exactly easy to drag themselves out of there, but they somehow managed to make it to their next class only a few minutes late. Stefan was fairly sure that Alaric knew what they'd been doing thanks to Elena's mussed hair and flushed cheeks, his rumpled clothes, and their satisfied smiles, and he almost expected a lecture later, but Alaric merely shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"It's not that I don't want to go to a dance," Elena said later. They were curled up on Elena's bed after doing homework-not that that much homework had actually been done-and were watching a movie on her laptop. "I want to go to a dance, but school dances have become too perilous."

Stefan rubbed her shoulder. "Maybe if we just went for a little while."

"Stefan, every time we go to a school dance there's fighting and dying involved. It's just not worth it."

"Plus it means your feet won't be endangered by mine."

Elena rolled her eyes and gently elbowed him. "You're a great dancer and you know it."

"Liar," Stefan kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and she smiled.

"Am not," Elena reached back and hugged his neck. "But I do know one dance you happen to excel in..." She grinned and turned around, straddling him as she kissed him.

They didn't watch the rest of the movie.

Later Stefan ran his fingers through her hair, letting it slip through his fingers as he studied her sleeping face, which,yes, a stalker-like thing to do, but one he couldn't help doing because she looked so peaceful and happy. She tried to play it off like she didn't care about the dance, but he had heard the slight disappointment in her voice and knew that if it hadn't been for some horrendous past experiences Elena would have already planned her outfit and probably help decorate the gym. Dancing was something Elena loved, but Mystic Falls High School dances and actually, any dances in Mystic Falls tended to offer far more than just dancing and fun.

Stefan smiled, an idea coming to life. He kissed Elena's forehead and she blinked sleepily at him, stretching slightly.

"Hey," she whispered and ran her hands over his back. "You're staring."

"I believe it's called gazing, love," he murmured and she laughed as she pulled him closer.

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><p>"You can tell me where we're going," Elena smiled, musing Stefan's hair. "I won't jump screaming out of the car."<p>

Stefan chuckled. He squeezed her knee and didn't dare look at her, knowing one little look from her and he'd either spill the secret or pull off to the side of the road and they wouldn't make it out of the car at all. "It's a surprise."

The wait was worth it. Stefan watched in delight as Elena looked around and figured out what they were going to do; he laughed as she hugged him close and kissed him, her eyes shining. It was so worth it just to see the smile on her face, he thought as they headed into the club.

They danced for hours, just enjoying moving together and not thinking about whatever crisis was going on back home at the moment. Stefan forgot to feel self-conscious and complied with Elena's request to show off various dances he knew, guiding her through a tango and waltz and laughing all the while, ignoring the strange looks they got from others. So most of the dances, ranging from some Scottish ceilidh steps to a jitterbug, didn't go with the music. Elena couldn't stop smiling.

"I love you," Elena whispered. The clock reported that it was almost five am and yet they were both completely wired even after the drive back home. In Stefan's room Elena kicked off her shoes and pulled him close; they began swaying together, slow-dancing to non-existent music and breathing each other in, the smiles on their faces smaller but just as radiant as before. "I love you."

"I love you," Stefan murmured, kissing her neck. "You know what I found out tonight?"

"What?"

"That I do enjoy dancing, as long as it's with you," he ducked his head, pressing his face against her neck because the cheesiness of the words embarrassed him. They were true, though, and worth it; even though he couldn't see it, Stefan knew Elena was smiling and that was everything.


	8. Chapter 8

At first it's surprisingly easy to be back at the lake-house. Almost as normal as being at home-almost. The rooms are both familiar and strange, memories hit her constantly and for a moment Elena felt like she couldn't breathe properly; all it took was glancing at the door to her parents room and she felt like she was going to break. She's paralyzed by that door, by memories of making her mom breakfast in bed (her dad did most of the work) and then Stefan's behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

"We can go somewhere else," he whispers, his voice tickling her ear.

Elena sighs and rubs his side. "I'm okay. I just-I need some air."

She purposely keeps her face turned away from him as she grabs a blanket to wrap around herself; Stefan's eyes follow her, she can feel him watching her, and she can practically hear him sigh out her name, tell her he doesn't care where they are or where they'd go as long as they're together. They could easily go somewhere else, hole up in a motel room for the weekend-she wouldn't mind that. It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't even need room service. No, she thinks as she steps outside, here was fine, here was good. Besides, she had to learn how to be comfortable here again.

The lake-house had been in her family for years and Elena had vaguely pictured bringing her own family there in the future. Summer days spent watching her own children jumping off the dock, teaching her own kids how to fish. Watching them with the same eagle eye and bright smile her mother wore every day. Maybe watching her grandchildren run around the yard and argue over s'mores.

Maybe now she'll visit and watch someone else's children play, be the strange, supernatural aunt who never ages and she shivers. The future seems scarier than ever now, and right now the past is colliding with all the possible futures and she closes her eyes, tries not to think of either. Stefan's quiet footsteps are a welcome relief and she leans against him gratefully.

"My dad taught me how to fish here," Elena murmurs and Stefan's arms tighten around her. "We spent every summer here, every birthday, holiday. So many memories..."

Stefan nuzzles her ear and she smiles lightly, finds his hands and covers them with her own.

"Do you ever think about our future?" she asks suddenly, impulsively; immediately she bites her lip, wishes she hadn't brought it up.

"I think there's a lot to talk about our future," Stefan says carefully. Elena can hear it in his voice, the desire to talk about it, the want-need-to protect her, his own feelings about the future that she thinks she knows but can't be certain.

"That's a box we shouldn't open now," she shivers and Stefan hands intertwine with hers.

"No, we can open it, but when you're ready," he murmurs.

She squeezes his hands. "I think I'd rather just be here, now."

Stefan can read her better than anyone, he hears the catch in her voice and ducks his head against hers, his voice dropping to a warm whisper. "You know, this is a future memory too. It's where your boyfriend kissed you and told you he loved you."

His lips trail across her cheek and Elena has to smile because it's so like him, sweet and perfect and just a little old-fashioned and cheesy.

She turns her face and stares at him, her eyes dreamy and his flaming with love and lust. Slowly, his lips find hers and already she's reeling, falling into him. The blanket slips to the ground as she throws her arms around his neck, kissing him eagerly, his hands on the small of her back and he's holding her close, so close and still she melts against him. Vaguely, Elena wonders if the dock's going to be like the kitchen counter, clothes half-off and rough, sloppy sex that leaves them shuddering against each other. A deep moan comes from Stefan's throat and Elena smirks, taking pleasure in how her lips and tongue can so easily provoke him.

By the time they're driven inside by the cold, their clothes are severely rumpled and their hair's messy beyond belief, Elena's going in every direction. She can't stop giggling at how Stefan's hair stands up, how it looks like it does when he just wakes up, complete with sleepy eyes and a sly smile. Once she asked him if he would go out like tat, hair wild and messy, and Stefan just gave her a look, one that sent her into fits of giggles.

"I love seeing you like this," she confesses, her hands in Stefan's hair. "Unguarded."

Stefan kisses her and she can feel him steering her back to the counter, his lips moving to her neck.

"Are you like this with anyone else?" she breathes, tugging at his jacket.

"Only you," he murmurs and she cups his face. "Only you, my love."

She feels warmth spread throughout her and it's not enough to just look at him anymore. "Come on," Elena whispers and pulls him to the stairs.

They haven't been upstairs yet-though maybe Stefan had, maybe he'd done some exploring while she reminisced on the dock-and it hits her again that no one's been here since the accident. There's dust on the tables and her room seems different, like it belonged to a much younger girl who didn't know anything about death. A girl who had never been in love, but was deeply loved.

Elena steps into the room, stands directly in the patch of sunlight falling through the window. Stefan's in the doorway, watching her, taking in the room but really watching her, and she shivers a bit. Even after all this time she's still not used to being looked at like that. Slowly, Elena takes off her boots, her gaze not leaving Stefan as she kicks them aside and starts to take off her shirt, pulling it off as slowly as possible.

The shirt's barely off when Stefan's against her, his hands spanning her back and kissing her greedily, she's already working on his clothes. They move backwards and land on the bed and Elena's lost in the sound of Stefan moaning her name.

"I didn't tell you I loved you," Elena murmurs. She's half-sitting, half-lying against him, her face pressed against his chest and she can't stop playing with his hand, holding it to her lips and kissing it lightly.

Stefan fists some of her hair before sliding his hand down her back, tickling her spine. "Yes you did."

"Pretty sure I didn't." Elena moves their hands against her heart and a few of his fingers slip away from hers to stroke her breast.

He laughs a little and Elena closes her eyes. She doesn't get to hear him laugh enough. "Your eyes definitely did," he whispers and kisses her forehead.

"You caught me," she curls her feet against his calf. "I love you."

It's barely a whisper but Stefan hears it. "I love you," he tells her and she thinks she could never get enough of hearing him say those words to her, even as she moves to press him against the bed.

Darkness falls earlier at the lake-house than in Mystic Falls, and the temperature drops too. The thin sheets on her bed won't be enough for that night and Elena tries to remember where the blankets are stored-she thinks they're in the closet in the guest room and after dinner she'll look for them.

They almost don't get out of bed. Lately they haven't been able to linger in bed the way the like to, lately every-thing's so hectic and crazy they've barely been able to spend time together at all. And they're intertwined together, their legs are tangled together, Stefan's pressing against her back and Elena doesn't want to move, not from his arms, not from the bed. With his arms around her it feels like the safest place in the world. He's planting light, small kisses against her neck and she never wants them to end.

Her growling stomach makes them get up; it's so loud that Elena hides her face under a pillow and Stefan laughs, his hand stroking her stomach even as she tries to will her empty stomach to be quiet. They dress slowly, and she can feel Stefan's eyes and smile the entire time.

"Don't get used to them," Elena says playfully as he zips his hoodie, her hands reaching for his belt and he pulls her against him, kisses her fiercely.

"Wait a few minutes," Stefan murmurs. "Before coming downstairs."

His smile's a cocky one and she can't help grinning back; it's torture waiting, she can't stop smiling, a blush on her face and for the first time in ages she hasn't spent the day brooding about the sacrifice or latest crisis. Stefan hasn't either. Coming here had definitely been a good idea.

When Elena gets downstairs there's a fire going and Stefan's pulling food out of the fridge, there's wine waiting. He looks at her and she nearly tells him to forget about food.

"Can I help?" she brushes against him and rubs his back.

"Nope," he tells her, a smile in his voice. "You're not doing any work tonight."

"Thank you," Elena kisses the back of his neck, plants another on his shoulder before taking her wine glass to the couch and lounging. Sometimes she likes to act older around Stefan, as if by acting older she'll narrow the age gap between them, but now she just feels like being herself, a girl crazy in love with a vampire who remembered that every now and then there needed to be a break from crisis-mode. She watches Stefan, a smile ever present on her face. He even made chopping vegetables look sexy and maybe tomorrow she'd convince him to cook shirtless.


	9. Chapter 9

There are fewer things Stefan enjoys more than kissing Elena. Whether it's a light kiss in her hair or the deepest kiss imaginable, he feels like he could easily spend all day kissing her-well, with a few other things besides kissing her and certainly not remaining above her shoulders for very long. Still, kissing Elena reminds Stefan of why he fought so hard to stay alive, to keep his humanity.

He's still a little awkward with others, unsure of himself at times and overly confident other times, but he's getting better, he thinks. Elena seems to know when he's uncomfortable, appearing with a light smile and looping her arm around him, leaning into him and giving him a look. It's okay, you're all right, calm down. It's just high school, love.

She calms him, she excites him, and sometimes he thinks that it's not enough to tell her that he loves her, that "I love you" isn't enough for what he feels for her.

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><p>Elena's fingers curl around his wrist and Stefan absent-mindedly kisses her forehead; they're watching a documentary in her living room, should be taking notes for school but neither of them are really paying attention, really. Too much stuff has been going on, and having downtime felt so lovely and strange, they're both convinced Alaric assigned the documentary because, like them, he's been way too involved with crisis stuff and hasn't had time to come up with actual assignments.<p>

Slowly, Elena moves her leg over his and she burrows her fingers underneath his shirt, and Stefan decides to forget about attempting to watch the screen and focuses on Elena. He plants his lips on her forehead and slowly begins to plan little kisses over her face, light, butterfly kisses. Elena turns her body towards his and looks at him, her eyes completely intoxicating, he could fall into them, drown in them forever. Her lips gently kiss his jaw and he pulls her into his lap, her legs wrapping easily around his waist, his hands cupping her ass. A giggle from her throat makes him smile and their lips meet, first in a quiet, soft kiss that's so gentle it almost frightens Stefan and then the kisses become deeper, filled with lust and hunger, Elena holding his face, making their lips press closer. With a smirk he shifts them, moving so he's lying on top of her and they're sinking into the couch, her hands tugging at his belt.

"Ahem."

John Gilbert, the ultimate buzz-kill and someone neither Stefan or Elena are too fond of. He glares at them, still deeply unhappy at the sight of his biological daughter with a vampire, let alone his biological daughter making out with a vampire. Stefan's hands are still on Elena's ass and he feels awkward, caught, but Elena merely glances at her uncle-father with disdain, looking more irritated at being interrupted than anything else.

Suddenly, her lips are on his again, another deep, loving kiss, her tongue snakes out and runs across Stefan's lips.

"Come on," she murmurs and pushes him up. "We can watch the movie on my laptop upstairs."

John's still glaring at them-if looks could kill, Stefan would have died at least a hundred times by now. Make that a hundred and one, he thinks as Elena grabs his ass while they're walking upstairs, her lips catching his back, his shoulders.

A gleeful little smile's on her face as she shuts her bedroom door. "I know I was kind of...childish, but I kind of enjoy freaking him out," she confesses as she loops her arms around Stefan's neck. Biting her lip, she whispers, "But you know what I really enjoy doing?"

Stefan holds her hips, tilts her forehead against hers.

"Being with you."

He kisses her, walking her back to the bed and gently pressing her against hit, his hands pulling off her shirt while she quickly works on his. They kiss all the while, their lips swollen and greedy, tongues playful, savoring every moment.

They never got around to watching the documentary.


End file.
